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Access to safe and affordable
housing is an important human right.
Housing issues, including housing discrimination, access to culturally
& linguistically appropriate housing counseling, home ownership initiatives,
and housing quality and affordability, affect Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities across the United States.
Census data show that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and
immigrant communities continue to face housing and economic disparities, with
the home ownership rates for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian or Pacific
Islanders (NHOPIs) much lower than the national home ownership rate. Research by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development revealed that AAPIs in large metropolitan areas face
considerable levels of discrimination when searching for housing, requiring greater community education efforts about, and enforcement of the Fair Housing
Act.1

RESOLUTION TO ENSURE EQUAL ACCESS TO
HOUSINGPassed July 2005

WHEREAS OCA will continue to be an advocate for fair housing
and housing opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in
the United States; and

WHEREAS OCA
recognizes that 12.6 percent of Asian Americans and 17.7 percent of Native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHOPI) households live in poverty versus the
national poverty rate of 12.4 percent; and

WHEREAS The
Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a report in 2003 documenting
the fact that AAPIs face discrimination at levels comparable or higher than
other minority groups when searching for housing; and

WHEREAS AAPIs
have lower home ownership rates than the population as a whole with only 53.2
percent of Asian Americans and 45.5 percent of NHOPIs living in owner-occupied
housing in comparison to the national average of 66.2 percent; and

WHEREAS The
2000 Census indicates that AAPIs face severe overcrowded housing with a rate of
14 percent compared to 3 percent of all owner-occupied housing units; and

WHEREAS OCA
recognizes that there is a need for federal and private sector efforts directed
toward AAPIs to increase access to housing and decrease the incidence of
housing discrimination; and

WHEREAS OCA
recognizes that the enforcement of policies and legal provisions for fair
housing will benefit AAPIs seeking housing and home ownership opportunities.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that OCA supports policies and programs that protect and
preserve the right to fair housing opportunities, promote access to affordable
housing, and facilitate home ownership opportunities among AAPIs in the United
States.

1 The facts presented in this resolution are from a
publication entitled "Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets: Phase 2 –
Asians and Pacific Islanders” published by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research on July 1, 2003
and from statistics compiled by the National Coalition for Asian Pacific
American Community Development